It is the first single by the band released since the departure of keyboardist, co-primary songwriter and producer Jordan Fish in December 2023.[3]
Promotion and release
On 22 December 2023, the band announced that longtime keyboardist Jordan Fish had amicably departed the band.[4][5] In the following statement, the band stated that Post Human: Nex Gen and the subsequent UK tour in January 2024 was still slated to go ahead, while simultaneously promising that new music was coming "very soon".[6] Not long after, lead vocalist Oli Sykes would tease a snippet of a new song called "Kool-Aid" on his Instagram story.[7] On 2 January 2024, the band officially confirmed "Kool-Aid" as the sixth single for the new record, they announced the following day that the song would be released on 5 January.[8] They debuted the song live for the first time on their opening UK tour date at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff, Wales on 9 January.[9]
Composition and lyrics
"Kool-Aid" has been described by critics as a metalcore song.[10][11]
^Källman, Peter (11 January 2024). "Bring Me the Horizon – 'Kool-Aid' Review". Music Talkers. Retrieved 11 January 2024. I see a lot of similarities between their latest metalcore release and some of the good old stuff from not only them but bands like Asking Alexandria.